E. Visayas Customs collection falls short

Tacloban City—The Bureau of Customs in Eastern Visayas collected P133.45 million for the first seven months of 2011, lower than the region’s collection target of P269 million.

Avelino Alberca, assessment division chief of the regional BOC, on Monday said the decline in regional collection was due to the lower collection of Isabel Port, which accounts for bulk of the region’s Customs earnings.

“The port of Isabel accounts for 86 to 90 percent of our entire collection. So, whenever there is a decrease of collection in Isabel, our entire collection is also affected,” Alberca said.

He said Isabel Port collections from January to July this year reached only P87.64 million, way below the P150.07 million it collected in the same period last year.